Meet Your 2018 Holt Camp Counselors!

We are SO excited about Holt Adoptee Camp this year and can’t wait to introduce you to your amazing counselors! If you’re going to camp this summer, get to know your counselors a bit ahead of time and get excited about meeting them soon! More than anything, they’re looking forward to meeting YOU!

Andrew

Hello! I am Andrew. I was a camper at Holt Adoptee Camp for six years and am extremely excited to be a counselor on this year’s staff! I was born in Seoul, South Korea and currently reside in Seattle, Washington. I am also heading into my third year at Central Washington University pursuing a degree in English education! Some of my hobbies are hiking, backpacking, playing all kinds of sports, snowboarding, and listening to all different kinds of music! I’m really looking forward to getting to know all the campers this year and making great memories at camp!

Rebekah

Hey y’all! My name is Rebekah Smith. I am 21 and currently attending Georgia State University in Atlanta. I am graduating in May with a degree in exercise science. My plan is to continue my education to become a physical therapist. I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when I was 4 months old. My brother, Adam, is also adopted from there. I have lived in Georgia my entire life. I enjoy exploring the city of Atlanta, because I am always finding new places to eat! I am really looking forward to this summer. Since the first time I was a camper back in 2013, being a camp counselor has always been something I want to do. I cannot wait to get to know everyone!

Caley

Hello all! My name is Caley and I was adopted from Danang, Vietnam when I was 10 months old. This will be my tenth year with Holt Adoptee Camp — I was a camper and counselor in training (CIT) in Oregon for eight years, and was on staff as a counselor last year. I am currently attending the University of Oregon, majoring in political science, and I very much enjoy napping and snacking. I am so excited to come back to camp to reconnect with returning campers, but also to meet new Adoptees across the country and make new friends!

Carden

Hello! My name is Carden and I was adopted from Ekaterinburg, Russia. I just graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore, where I majored in communications and minored in art history. I enjoy improv comedy, filmmaking, backpacking and painting. This will be my first time working with Holt Adoptee Camp, as part of leadership. I’m excited to meet everyone, and to work and share stories with other Adoptees. I’m looking forward to a fun summer!

Chris

Hey! My name is Chris Childers. I am 21 and currently work and live in Atlanta. I was adopted from Bangkok, Thailand. I enjoy playing video games with friends and I have a habit of singing a lot when I am having a good time. I love music and consider music to be a vital part of my life. I consider myself a jokester, so don’t take my teasing personally because I tend to mess around with everyone. I’m excited about being on leadership because it gives me the opportunity to help other kids create their own memories. I also think that being part of leadership will give me the chance to make lifelong friends, so I look forward to seeing all the new faces.

Daisy

Hey guys! My name is Daisy and I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when I was 5 months old. I live in Stuart, South Florida. This will be my very first summer with the Holt Adoptee Camp staff and I am beyond excited! I attended camp once as an Adoptee in my younger-er days. I recently finished up school to become a firefighter/EMT and plan on attending paramedic school this fall. I enjoy spending my free time with friends, adventuring outdoors, and most importantly, tending to my three four-legged babies (2/3 not pictured). Holt camp left me with memories I cherish and won’t ever forget and I can’t wait to give others what Holt camp gave me. I look forward to meeting all of the new Adoptees and staff and making endless memories!

Elliot

Hi all! My name is Elliot Bliss and I will be on this year’s leadership staff! I will also be in charge of social media for Holt camp! I was a Holt camper for seven years and this will be my fourth year on staff! I’m currently majoring in music (violin performance) at the University of Oregon, but I am switching over to nursing in the fall! I was adopted from Yangsan, South Korea and I currently reside in Eugene, Oregon! My favorite activities are running, hiking, reading, chilling with friends and cooking! I’m very excited to see returning campers and meet new ones!

Emma

Hello all! My name is Emma. I was adopted from Guangxi province, China when I was 1-and-a-half years old. I currently live in Lewisburg, West Virginia. I graduated from Gardner-Webb University in May 2018 with a major in American Sign Language and double minor in interpreting and psychology. A few of my interests include playing the piano, dancing, learning new languages and meeting new people! I cannot wait to meet fellow Adoptees from around the U.S. I am also excited to share my story as well as hear from others. While each Adoptee story varies, I believe that we all share similar roots and can relate to one another on a deeper level. I look forward to this summer and creating unforgettable memories! Here’s to the best summer ever!

Gavin

Hi my name is Gavin Bower. I’m 22 years old and I was adopted from South Korea at around 6 months. I was a camper in New Jersey for a few years when I was younger and I have been a counselor for the NJ/PA camp two times. As a kid, I grew up in Hunterdon County, NJ, in the small town of Clinton where I spent my time exploring the surrounding woods, riding my bike everywhere, playing video games and looking for new swimming holes to enjoy. In high school I continued to love adventuring and exploring the outdoors through Boy Scouts as well as competed for my school’s fencing and track teams. Since then, I have been attending Rutgers University and using my summers to travel as much as I can afford. Some of my favorite trips have been to Korea and Colorado. I’m really excited to meet and get to know you all this summer!

Helena

Hello! I’m Helena Haase. I was born in South Korea and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. I’m a sophomore at Clark University in Massachusetts and am studying psychology and sociology. In my free time I love to hang out with friends, do art, take pictures and watch crime shows! I’m so excited to meet everyone this summer!

Joli

Hello! My name is Joli Hanlon and I am a part of the leadership staff. I was adopted from China when I was 5 years old. I am from Madison, Wisconsin, but am currently working abroad. I graduated from Lawrence University in 2017. I am very excited to be returning to camp for a third time this summer. I look forward to seeing returning campers and staff, as well as meeting all the new faces. I can’t wait for Holt Camp 2018!

Katelyn

Hey camper families!

Wow – I can’t believe another camp season is here! I am so excited to be your camp director again. I’m looking forward to seeing new and returning faces, as well as having fun, talking about adoption, and experiencing this awesome and unique community of Adoptees and adoptive families!

Here’s a little about me:

*I was adopted from Korea

*I’ve worked at Holt for almost four years

*Currently approaching my last year of my Master’s of Social Work program (!)

*Grew up in the Northwest

*Love to solo-travel, eat food, listen to my jams, and sleep

*One of my favorite things is Holt Adoptee Camp!!

See ya’ll at Holt Adoptee Camp 2018!

Katie

Hi, my name is Katie Nolan! I was adopted from Taipei, Taiwan when I was 6 years old. I lived in southwest Florida from the time I was adopted until I was about 11, when I moved to South Jersey with my mom and sister. I am now 20 years old and studying biology at Stockton University with a concentration in pre-medicine. I love listening to music, singing at the top of my lungs (although I can’t promise that it’s good), playing the drums, and trying and learning new things! I try my best to make people laugh and make sure everyone is having a good time. I look forward to helping make the campers’ experiences as great as possible and becoming a positive mentor for them!

Laura

Greetings to all! This year, Holt Adoptee Camp is reaching new heights! My name is Laura X. Williams. I was adopted from Yi-Wu, China and grew up in New Jersey. I am the special programs coordinator, a new position to the Holt camp structure, but not a new face! I was a counselor in 2014, then went to Goucher College to study sociology and public health and continued there as a master’s student in cultural sustainability — graduating this spring. My summer duties lie in coordinating day camp, overnight family camp and the volunteer program. My approach to these programs is grounded in six years of adoption research and I can’t wait to spend time with everyone at camp! I spend my free time reading, hiking, petting my cat and spending time with loved ones. I anticipate a fun and meaningful summer. Hope to see you there!

Mani

Hi! My name is Mani and I was adopted from India when I was 6 years old. Last year was my first time ever at Holt camp and it was an incredible experience. I am so excited to be able to return and spend my summer with you all! I’m currently busy trying to get into med school, so it seems like I’m constantly busy with something or another. But when I do have free time, my favorite activities include running, cooking/eating, playing Catan, using movie pass and playing Mario Kart on the switch.

Nate

Hi, I’m Nate and I am going to be a new counselor at Holt camp. I love kids because they are just pure joy — I love helping kids in general no matter how hard it is. I enjoying playing games and working hands-on. I will be attending a college in Canada called Fanshaw. In high school, I participated in special Olympics instead of regular track and field for my school so I could help the kids who wanted to learn about the sport. I enjoyed it very much because I got to teach and spend time with the kids. It was really rewarding seeing those kids grow! In my spare time I enjoy most sports, and I love nature and anything that includes being active… but I also love sleep and food (haha!).

Sara

Hi, my name is Sara, I’m currently a rising senior studying psychology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. I was adopted from Guangxi province, China, when I was 11 months old. I went to Holt camp for 6 years, was a counselor in training for a year, and this is my first year on staff as a counselor! Holt camp changed my life and I am so excited to give back to the Adoptee community. I can’t wait to travel to all the different camp sites and meet everyone and have a great summer!